(Yes, it's another FF8 one...I can't help it! Those are just the easiest for me to write! And
yeah, unconventional pairings are fun.)

"Irvy, look over there!" Selphie's cheerful voice reached Irvine Kinneas's ears. He saw his
best friend pointing towards the balcony and directed the camcorder in the proper
direction. And who else was the target but Rinoa? He pressed a button, causing the
image to zoom in, not noticing the low battery signal in the corner.

"Well, well, well," he narrated. "And here is our very own--Aw man!" He lowered the
camera and shook his head in exasperation.

Selphie ran to his side, "What happened? Did you break my camera?"

"Ah come on! You think I can't handle something like a camcorder?" he placed the device
in her hand. "Your battery went dead."

"What? You just put one in this morning!" she exclaimed with dismay. "Wait a minute. I
didn't have to turn it on tonight. Oh no! You forgot to turn it off this morning, didn't
you?"

Irvine grinned and pinched her cheek. "I thought it had one of those automatic shut-offs
or something. Don't be mad at me, Sefie."

Her face emanated pure sunshine and she shook her head with a laugh. "Of course I'm
not mad. I had a feeling something like that would happen…" she reached into her pocket
and produced a new battery. "Always be prepared, right?"

About that moment, Rinoa and Squall returned inside to mingle with everyone. Rinoa had
her arm looped around Squall's and was whispering in his ear. Irvine exclaimed grandly,
"Well, if it isn't the two lovebirds." Squall rolled his eyes and Rinoa giggled, tightening
her grip on his arm.

Cid approached the group and said, "Oh good. Rinoa, Irvine, I was hoping to get a
chance to talk to you two." He smiled and said, "Well, maybe now's not the time. After
all, we're here to celebrate. Not talk business. Why don't you two make your way to my
office tomorrow morning at 9:00, alright?" Rinoa and Irvine both nodded their assent and
Cid clapped his hands together. "Good!" He noticed the confused looks on their faces and
laughed, "Oh, it's nothing bad. It's quite good, in fact. But forget I said anything at all!
Enjoy yourselves!" He grabbed his wife's hand and led her to the dance floor.

"Whoa," a new voice said. Zell joined the others and pointed to where Cid and Edea were
dancing. "I didn't know Cid could move like that."

"I wouldn't worry," Irvine assured her. "He said it was good. Maybe he wants to give us a
medal or something."

"I doubt it," the dark haired young woman laughed. "Why single the two of us out?
Squall's the one who deserves a medal! Not me!"

"Hey now! You worked just as hard as Squall. Give yourself some credit." He put his arm
around her shoulders as he led her towards the refreshment table. "I mean, you probably
went through more than Mr. Leonhart over there."

Rinoa shook her head. "Hardly! You have no idea what Squall's been through."

Yeah, and you have no idea how many times we had to twist his arm to get him to go
rescue you, Irvine thought. He didn't voice that thought however. In fact, it rather
surprised him. He had never felt any animosity towards Squall. He had always respected
him and had always deferred to him. Where had that come from? "Yeah, I know," he
said. "I didn't mean--"

"I know," she laid her hand on his arm. "Let's just enjoy tonight. It's our night!" Irvine
watched as she ran towards Squall, pulling him out on the dance floor. He protested, but
ended up giving in to her. Irvine watched them "boogie" for a little and turned his head,
searching for Selphie. She was the center of a crowd of people, as usual, and for good
reason.

He spotted his hat, which Selphie had taken off and carefully placed on one of the tables.
Walking over to it, he began to think about some of the people he had come to care
about. Especially the three girls. When he had first seen Quistis, the first thing that
struck him was how beautiful she was. Yet, every time he had tried to get closer to her,
she had raised her chin a little higher and ended up usually dressing him down. He could
tell that if people were able to break through her shell, they'd be able to see her for who
she really was and he wondered if he'd ever be one of those people. Unfortunately, he
realized it was going to take a lot to try to penetrate the image she had so carefully
sculpted, and he didn't know if he wanted to spend the effort trying. Until that day came,
if that day ever came, their friendship would remain at arm's length.

Selphie was a different story. They were best friends as children. It was only natural that
the friendship would remain strong into adulthood. She had been the one whose hand he
had grasped onto when they were attempting to escape compressed time. She was his
ray of light in the dark world, and yet, she was no more than his best friend. She'd never
be more than his best friend. He had thought what he was feeling was love, and he
suspected she had felt the same, but he realized that though the bond they shared was
more precious than any other, it would always be the bond of friendship - nothing more.

And Rinoa? "Nah…" Irvine said aloud as his thoughts shifted to her. He watched as Squall
dipped her and saw the joy that radiated from her face. He had always respected and
enjoyed Rinoa's company. He had always appreciated her spunk and even her stubborn
will. But from the very beginning, he saw that her affections were for one man, though
he couldn't understand why. Even back in Deling City, the person she had turned to was
Squall. I was really scared, she had said as she buried her face in his chest. It had
always bothered him the way Squall was so reluctant to help her out. Selphie had
commented that he was simply scared about letting her in, but Irvine dismissed that
remark with a roll of his eyes. If you had a friend in trouble, you helped that friend. Plain
and simple. But somehow, Rinoa began to change Squall. He hoped that if any situation
like that ever came up again, Squall would jump at the chance to save her. She'd
certainly saved him. She would give her life for him. That was evident…

He plucked the hat from the table and set it down upon his head. He began to head out
of the large room, suddenly tired. Before he could reach the doorway, however, a hand
tugged at his shirtsleeve. "Irvy, where are you going? The night's still young!" Selphie
exclaimed.

"Well," he paused. "I have a date in the morning and I want to look and feel my best."

"A date?" she looked at him skeptically.

"For breakfast," he explained.

"Ohhh…"

"So, I'll catch you tomorrow. 'Night Sefie," he hugged his dearest friend and watched as
she returned to her crowd of friends. He had fallen into a mood for some reason. He was
beginning to feel the part of the lone sharpshooter once again. He cast one last glance
towards the group of revelers and walked away, his footsteps echoing hollowly through
the hallway.

------------------------------------

"Come in and sit down," Cid welcomed Irvine and Rinoa into his office and gestured
towards a couple of chairs. When they took their seats, he leaned against his desk and
pushed up the pair of glasses that had begun to slide down his nose. "Ok, I know you're
probably wondering why I've called you in here. Well, I'm aware that you two were
instrumental in the whole Ultimecia incident and yet neither of you are SeeDs."

"Sir, I--" Irvine began, but Cid cut him off.

"Hear me out. I think the Ultimecia incident could definitely qualify as your field test, in
which both of you would have passed with flying colors. However, there's the problem of
the written exam. You didn't take it at Galbadia, did you?" he asked Irvine.

The young man shook his head. "No sir. I was scheduled to take it, but then I got called
away for something pretty important, if you know what I mean."

"You mean I could become a SeeD too?" Rinoa's eyes widened at the chance. She had
always felt somewhat like an outsider. "I mean I haven't really been trained like the
others have."

"The written test won't be easy for you," Cid conceded, "But I'm sure with some
studying, you'll pass with flying colors. You already possess much of the skill that the
SeeDs do. I'll tell you a secret. It's not necessarily about the book knowledge, but about
how you are on the field. However, you do need to know some of the basics. Really, this
exam is merely a formality, but since it's always been required for everyone else, I'm
afraid I'll still have to require it for you. That is, if you're interested."

"Interested? Of course I am!" Rinoa began to inch her way to the edge of her seat. Irvine
smiled at her excitement.

"Good," Cid sat back. "Well, the next testing date is a month from tomorrow. Think that'll
be enough time to prepare?"

"Yes sir," Irvine and Rinoa answered in unison.

"Wonderful. If you have any questions, just let me know." With that remark, he pulled a
file out of his drawer and began to flip through it. Irvine and Rinoa watched him for a few
minutes. Cid noticed their hesitation and smiled. "That'll be all," he added, indicating
they could leave.

As soon as they shut the door behind them, Rinoa squealed with delight. "I'm going to
become a SeeD! Oh, Irvine, we've got to study together!"

"What?" he turned to face her.

"Well, you are planning on studying, aren't you?"

"Eventually."

She shook her head. "No, you're not waiting until the last minute. We can help each
other. I know I'm going to have a lot of questions anyhow. Please?"

"I just--"

"PLEASE?" she grabbed his arm and looked up at him, her eyes big and round.

He wondered then how Squall could ever resist her. Well, at least she wasn't kicking or
pinching him this time like she had when she wanted to go back to that prison.

"Why not?"

------------------------------------

Rinoa stood outside of Irvine's door and knocked. She hugged the SeeD study guide to
her chest and waited for him to answer. She heard some bumping around and then the
door opened and the handsome young cowboy greeted her with a grin. "Welcome to my
humble abode," he spread his arm wide and gestured for her to enter. He looked like he
had just gotten out of the shower, his long hair hanging loosely down his back in wet
clumps. He was wearing a faded Galbadia Hockey Club t-shirt and a pair of old, torn
jeans.

She giggled and said, "Thanks." But when she stepped inside and looked around, she was
quite surprised.

He noticed the expression on her face and shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

"I just…your room! It's not what I expected at all!" She had expected clothes to be on
the floor and dust on the tables or at least, a picture of a scantily clad woman here or
there. She couldn't have been more wrong. Everything was in it's place and the décor
was very tasteful. She spotted a framed print on the wall and pointed. "That's an Amelie
Waterston piece, isn't it?"

"You know her stuff?" Irvine asked.

"I love her work!"

"Yeah, so do I. When I was younger, we went on this field trip to Deling City and visited
the art gallery there. Most of my friends were bored out of their minds, but I fell in love
with her painting."

Rinoa turned to face him and smiled. "I would never have thought that about you. I
would never have pictured it."

"Most people wouldn't," he remarked, remembering Selphie's reaction had been much
the same when she had first entered his room. They stood in silence for a few seconds
before Irvine pulled a chair out from by the desk. "Well, shall we?"

"Yes!" Rinoa agreed, sitting down and pulling out the study guide.

"Oh good! I was hoping you'd have one of those," Irvine said, leaning back where he sat.
He propped his bare feet on the edge of the bed.

"Ok, well, why don't I just quiz you first and see what you know? You can probably help
me out then."

"Shoot," he agreed.

So she opened the study guide to a page in the middle and said, "Here's one. It's easy.
True or false…a buel sometimes uses fire."

"I was supposed to meet Squall over an hour ago to go over some things and he-"

"Just tell him you lost track of time."

"I did lose track of time," she said.

"I know. Just tell him that. He'll understand. I'm sure he wants you to be a SeeD just as
much as you want it."

"Yeah," Rinoa sighed. "Too bad we didn't get much studying done." They had simply
been chatting for the last four hours.

"Well, we can try again tomorrow," he suggested.

She immediately brightened. "Yes! We should! Want to? How 'bout my place tomorrow?
Same time?"

"Sounds perfect," he agreed.

"Ok," Rinoa grinned. "I'm out of here!" She slipped her feet back into her shoes and
waved goodbye as she walked out of Irvine's room. He shut the door behind her and
turned towards the bed, catching a glimpse of his reflection out of the corner of his eye.
Why was he wearing such a dopey grin? And how long had it been there? He had had one
of the best afternoons simply talking to the one girl at Balamb Garden whom he had
never really thought about before. She was practically married afterall. He shook his
head, as if trying to clear it. It was silly to think anything anyway. He had enjoyed the
company of one of his friends and that was that.

That was that.

------------------------------------

As the weeks went by, Irvine and Rinoa found themselves in each other's company more
and more. They began to find excuses to spend time with the other, always claiming they
needed to study. And they did study. But once they put away the books, their time
together didn't end. They usually ended up simply talking about everything and nothing
at all. And the bonds of friendship grew stronger. They didn't think anything could take
that away.

------------------------------------

The night before the exam, Selphie and Quistis knocked on Rinoa's door. She opened it,
but went back to her mirror and picked her hairbrush up, running it through her long
silky hair. She had made herself up somewhat.

"Oh no!" Selphie said. "We were going to take you out tonight for a good-luck dinner, but
I guess you already have plans for Squall."

"No, I don't," she looked at them, puzzled. "I was going over to Irvy's for some last
minute studying."

Quistis raised an eyebrow. "Irvy?"

"Yeah, Irvine," Rinoa laughed. "Why?"

"You've been spending a lot of time with him lately," Quistis commented as she walked
over to Rinoa's bed and sat down.

"It's just because we've been studying for this SeeD test together. That's all." She
frowned. "What are you suggesting?"

"I don't know," Quistis shook her head. "Nothing."

"You think I like Irvine Kinneas?" Rinoa demanded.

Selphie frowned, "And what would be wrong with that?"

"Nothing, Selphie. Really. It's just that I love Squall. I have always loved Squall and I
always will. Not Irvine. And not anyone else!"

"Alright," Selphie held both of her hands up. "It's ok, Rinn."

"No, it's not ok!" the dark haired girl responded. She marched over to her phone, picked
it up and dialed a number. After a few seconds, she said, "Yeah Irvine? I can't make it
tonight…Why? Because something more important came up. I do have other friends, you
know. Besides, we've been studying plenty. We don't need to anymore. And people are
starting to get the wrong idea," she shifted her gaze irritably towards Selphie and
Quistis. "They think…nah, don't worry about it. It's stupid anyway. Bye." She hung up
and said, "Ready to go?"

------------------------------------

Irvine stared at the phone for a few minutes after he hung up. He walked to his dresser
and picked up the stuffed moomba bear that he had bought Rinoa. Good luck, it said on
it's belly. His shoulders sagged and he set the bear back down and reached for the
bouquet of pink daisies that Rinoa had mentioned she liked so much. He stuffed them in
the wastebasket.

Sure, they had simply gotten together originally to study, but each day they spent in
each other's company, it seemed like something else was happening. He had found their
eyes meeting more and more when they were out with friends or merely going about
daily life at Balamb. Rinoa had confided in him that Squall didn't always make her feel
important and the last time they had "studied" together, she had fallen asleep in his
arms.

Something more important came up. I do have other friends, you know.

The tone of her voice had hurt worse than her words did. There was a hardness, an edge,
present and he didn't quite understand what he had done.

People are starting to get the wrong idea.

He had wanted to tell her that he was getting that idea too. That he had found himself
being drawn to the most unlikely person. He had found himself drawn to her.

It's stupid anyway. Bye.

She hadn't bothered to wait for a response. She simply hung up. "Well, that's what I get
for being dumb." He picked the stuffed moomba bear back up in one hand and his hat in
the other. He wanted to get out of this place.

He walked the long hallway to her room and laid the moomba bear outside her door.
Turning on his heel, he spotted an attractive young woman with curly titian hair. "Hey,"
he walked up to her. "What are you doing tonight?"

------------------------------------

Rinoa was miserable. She sipped her soft drink in silence as Selphie and Quistis chattered
on and on about something that had happened earlier. Quistis was speaking. "…and then
Nida walked up like he owned the place and said, 'If you think that's a grat, you're sadly
mistaken!'"

Selphie howled with laughter at Quistis's story. "Ah man, I wish I could have been there
to see all that. That's hilarious!"

"I know!" Quistis agreed. "It was funny. Especially because of that stupid omelette."

Selphie giggled again and then noticed Rinoa staring off into space. "Rinn? You ok?"

She snapped her head back and smiled, "Of course I am. Why?"

"You just seem preoccupied or something. Are you just nervous about the exam
tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Rinoa lied. In reality, her conversation with Irvine was plaguing her mind. She
had always seen him as nothing more than a womanizer, but that's because she had
never truly known him. But as she had spent time with him, she saw who he really was
on the inside and she had come to suspect that he used his casual and somewhat
egotistical attitude to cover up his insecurities. And she did like him. She liked how
down-to-earth he was. She liked his sense of humor. But most of all, she liked how he
truly listened to her and seemed to respect what she had to say. So many times, with
Squall, she found herself wondering if he was really hearing her. With Irvine, there was
no doubt in her mind that he truly listened to her.

"Don't worry. You'll do great!" Selphie reassured her. At that moment, however, the one
person that Rinoa couldn't stop thinking about walked through the door into the little
restaurant where the girls sat. On Irvine's arm was a beautiful red haired woman. Rinoa's
stomach began to churn for some reason. Selphie smiled as she waved at Irvine. "Looks
like he's got a new girlfriend. She's pretty."

"Yeah, she is," Rinoa agreed. Her expression grew hard and she quickly dismissed Irvine
Kinneas from her mind. Why waste another thought on someone so shallow?

------------------------------------

That night, after the girls had returned back to Balamb Garden, Rinoa sat curled up in
one corner of the lobby, with the SeeD study guide in her hands. She was trying to get
some last minute studying done, but found her eyes shifting upwards towards the entry
way every few seconds. She was rewarded at last when Irvine and the young woman
stepped inside, laughing about something. Irvine took the girl into his arms and gave her
a long, tender kiss. She whispered goodnight and left his side. He turned around with a
smug look on his face, which faded when he saw Rinoa looking back at him, her face
unreadable.

"Hey," he said casually, walking towards her.

"Hey," she responded stiffly. "Did you have fun on your date?"

His mouth fell into a wry smile and he nodded. "Oh yes. Courtney is absolutely
wonderful. She's everything a guy could want in a girl. Funny and smart, not to mention
beautiful. I don't know anyone like her. Except maybe Selphie." He suddenly frowned.
"Besides, why do you care? You had more important things to do."

"I don't care," Rinoa replied. "I was just being polite and making conversation."

Irvine folded his arms against his chest. "I see. Well, did you have fun with the girls?"

"Oh yes," Rinoa exclaimed and then added, "I can't think of a better way to spend my
time. There's no one I like being around more. Except Squall, that is."

Irvine saw the meaning in her words. She didn't really enjoy being around him like he
had thought. He must have bored her somehow. He had to have done something or else
she wouldn't have started acting like this all of the sudden. With the exception of Selphie,
it seemed that anyone he tried to get close to ended up rejecting him later on and he
couldn't understand why. He was so tired of being rejected. He opened his mouth to
retort, but thought better and ended up nodding to her and saying, "I'm glad."

"What?" She looked puzzled.

"I'm happy that you have people like that in your life. But if you'll excuse me, I've got a
test in the morning and I kind of need to get some shut-eye. Goodnight." He took his hat
off his head and trudged toward the dorm wing. Rinoa watched him, unsure of what he
was thinking.

Irvine paused outside the door to his room and leaned his head against it. He wanted to
go back to Rinoa and find out what exactly had happened tonight. He started to turn
back the way he had come, but changed his mind. She didn't want to see him. She had
made that more than clear. She wasn't the person he thought she was. The door closed
behind him with a soft click.

Rinoa waited in the lobby, hoping Irvine would come back. That hadn't gone well at all.
She felt horrible about the way she had acted and wanted to tell him so. So she waited.

And waited.

But he never came. She heaved a sigh and shook her head. "Apparently, he could care
less." She stood up, stooping down to pick up the book she had accidentally dropped on
the floor and slowly walked back to her room. Leaning against her door was a stuffed
moomba bear with the words, Good luck, on it's belly.

------------------------------------

The days turned into weeks and the weeks into months. Both Rinoa and Irvine passed
the written exam that day and were awarded SeeDship. Everyone was so proud and they
were extremely pleased with themselves. However, something precious had been lost,
tangled in the webs of misunderstanding. A friendship that had been blossoming had
withered away. They still ran around with the same crowd, but avoided the solitary
company of the other. At first, things seemed strained, but gradually everything fell back
into the routine that had once been established. A routine that kept the two separated.

------------------------------------

Rinoa was eating lunch one day with Zell and Quistis. She saw Irvine wander into the
cafeteria, greeting them with a nod and then make his way to a table in the corner,
where he sat by himself.

Zell noticed and frowned, "That's kind of weird. What's with Irvine being so antisocial?"

"Oh leave him alone. Maybe he's just having a bad day or something," Quistis scolded
him. "Come on, finish what you were saying."

"Oh yeah! And so the guy hopped on the chocobo's back and see, the chocobo didn't
seem to like that too much and…" Zell was saying. Rinoa began to zone, her eyes shifting
towards Irvine, wandering how he was doing. "Rinoa."

"Huh?" she looked back at Zell.

"Do you get it? Deling City. DELING CITY!" Zell fell back in his chair, laughter erupting
from him. Quistis was trying to contain her own laughter.

Rinoa allowed herself to laugh politely. She hadn't heard a word he had said. "Excuse
me," she smiled and stood, picking up her tray.

As she was walking away, she heard Zell whisper to Quistis, "I don't think she got it.
Deling City!" He broke into a fit of laughter again.

She slowly approached Irvine's table, feeling very unsure of herself. She cleared her
throat and he looked up at her in surprise. "Is anyone sitting there?" she motioned
towards the seat in front of him.

"Hopefully you," he responded. She muttered her thanks and sat down before him. He
glanced over towards Zell and Quistis and asked, "Was Zell telling that joke about the
bartender and the chocobo?" Rinoa nodded. "Ah yeah," he laughed. "That was a pretty
good one. Especially the part about Deling City."

"Irvine, can I talk to you?" she blurted out.

"Sure," he nodded solemnly.

"About that night before the exam, I feel terrible. And I've been avoiding you because I
didn't think you wanted to talk to me. But I've got to tell you this or it's going to bother
me forever. I do enjoy your company. So much. Those days that we were spending all
that time together…well, I can't remember when I was so happy. It was just fun. We had
a good time together."

"I know," Irvine agreed quietly.

"But I messed it all up. Selphie and Quistis suggested something and I felt threatened or
something," she shook her head. "I can't even explain it."

"Well, you are a woman," he pointed out with a sly smile.

Rinoa threw her napkin at him and gave him a playful pout. "But I didn't mean it when I
implied that they were more important than you. Or that I enjoyed being around them
and not you. It was wrong of me and I'm sorry. I'm sorry it's taken this long to say all
this."

"You shouldn't be the only one to apologize. You're not the only one who messed up," he
answered her. "I went out with Carrie that night--"

"Wasn't her name Courtney?" Rinoa interrupted.

"Oh yeah. I guess it was. Anyway, I took her out where I knew you'd be just to make
you jealous, which is silly because I mean, you're dating Squall and all. But I thought if I
showed you how much fun I had without you…I don't even know. It all seems so stupid
now that I mention it. I wanted to come talk to you, but I didn't think you wanted to talk
to me."

"Really?"

"Really."

Rinoa sat back and laughed in amazement. "What's going on? Here we're sent out on
these missions all the time helping people and trying to make this world a better place,
and we can't even handle simple things as friendships?"

Rinoa looked thoughtful for a minute and then asked, "So you want to start all over?"

Irvine shook his head, causing Rinoa to have a moment of uncertainty. But his words
reassured her. "Why start over when what we had was so good? Why not just pick up
where we left off?" He looked at the beautiful dark haired girl sitting before him, all the
old feelings he had experienced flooding back to him. But he knew she was happy with
Squall. Still, he'd rather have her as a friend than nothing at all. He had felt so empty the
last few months. And besides, who knew what could happen between them?

"I can't think of anything I'd like more," Rinoa replied reaching out and taking his hand.
This caused Irvine to raise an eyebrow.